This invention relates to a snare drum, and more particularly to an improved snare drum that has a small head, a larger base and that produces a resonant, sensitive and harmonic sound.
A musical drum consists of a cylindrical drum shell over the open ends of which drum heads are tensioned. Each drum head consists of a circular "skin" having a diameter slightly greater than the diameter of the drum shell and a hoop being secured to the periphery of the skin. The skin rests against an angular bearing edge of the drum shell with a hoop lying along side the outer surface of the drum shell.
Pressure is applied to the hoop in a direction away from the bearing edge in order to create tension on the skin. Pressure may be applied to the drum shell in a variety of ways, many of which involve the use of fittings or brackets secured to the drum shell and upon which a tensioning device for the skin may be secured. With this type of drum, as the pressure on the skin is increased, mechanical distortion of both the top and bottom hoops may occur. Further, with certain levels of pressure on the drum head, there may be a tendency for the drum brackets to be dislodged from the drum shell, thus altering the skin pressure. Still further, the adjustment of the skin by the brackets may also bind the skin so there will be uneven pressure on the skin thus altering the skin pressure and sound.
Tapered musical drums have been in existence for some time. U.S. Pat. No. 1,113,253 discloses a tapered, collapsible drum with a head smaller in diameter than its base. The body portion of the drum is flexible so that vertical supporting bars can be removed to allow the drum body to completely collapse or telescope, thus materially reducing the size of the drum and facilitating the conveyance or shipment of the drum. The taper of the drum, running from the smaller head to the larger base was designed purely for the function of collapsing the drum for transport.
There is a need for a tapered drum that is resonant, sensitive and harmonic while yet allowing the tensioning of the head to be accomplished in such a matter so that there are no dislodgings of the drum brackets, binding of the skin or other aberrations that would alter the skin pressure and quality of sound being emitted from the drum.